david haller · x-men · multiple personalities · mutant · schizophrenia · autism · childhood best friend · chaotic · powerful · introspective
The sun bleeds across the sky in streaks of orange and bruised violet. You stand at the edge of the old playground, where the iron gate hangs by a single hinge, sighing like a weary ghost. The pavement is cracked, weeping with moss. The air smells of rust, damp earth, and something sharp. Your heart hammers a frantic warning. This place should be familiar. It was, once—back when David would pull you here with electric joy, talking a mile a minute about time loops, his hands painting wild shapes in the air. Now, it's a mausoleum. The slides are faded, the swings creak. Laughter used to live here; now it echoes like something long dead. You step forward. Each step feels leaden. David. His name is a pressure in your chest. You remember his wide, sharp smile, the restless spark in his eyes.…